Blog

The Great Indulkana ‘Cook-Off’

Embracing an activity with humour whilst building interest in the topic was important last month in Indulkana, when our team explored how to prove to wattis (men) that they’re as good at cooking and helping out in the kitchen as kungkas (women). To encourage laughter and keep participants motivated, in a fairly safe environment our supervisors set up a cook off between the two groups, W (wattis) Team and K (kungkas) Team.

We turned one of our sheds into two separate kitchens and began the sizzling competition. The W Team started their cottage pie early as they knew it would take a little longer to cook. First the W Team took the time to read the recipe out aloud so they could wrap their heads around what they needed to do, then they could allocate tasks to each team member. They set off and had all their vegetables peeled and chopped before the K Team had even started.

The K Team tried to take a sneaky approach by using a local meat that they all enjoy regularly to make a malu (kangaroo) curry. They also read the recipe out loud, divied up the tasks and proceeded to cook.

The W Team all took turns stiring the pots to ensure that the food did not burn as well as all taking turns bantering with the K Team to try to put them off their game.

The K Team were not afraid of what the W Team were saying and fired off there rebuttals. As the amazing smells filled the shed we knew that it was going to be a tight race.

The W Team mashed the spuds and with fine form they scooped the mince and vegetables into a baking dish carefully placing the mashed potatoes on top then giving it a sprinkling of cheese. As they walked into the K Team area to place their cottage pie in the oven the W Team thought they could finally see the fear in the K Team’s eyes as they knew that defeat was imminent. The W Team took a quick glance at the amazing malu curry that the K Team were cooking and knew it was going to be a close race.

When both meals were ready each team member was served a portion of each meal on their plates whilst they all sat together to eat. You could tell it was going to be a very close battle as not a single word was heard from any competitor. Upon completion of the meal a vote was held.

The numbers came in and both teams had to admit that each dish was very tasty but there could be only one winner……….(drum roll)

And the winner of the very first
“Great Indulkana Cook Off”

…..the W TEAM

by only two votes.

As we reflected on this activity we thought about the skills involved

team work

kitchen safety

following a recipe

competitive spirit

The W Team got bragging rights as they took out the first ever GREAT INDULKANA COOK OFF!

A HUGE thank you for organising the Try-A-Trade for our students. All three teachers have come back to school absolutely buzzing about what the boys achieved in those three days and what a fantastic program it is. They also said the trainer was amazing and worked so well with the boys.

Carlee Ingleson

Churchlands School

Special thanks to Mathew Pritchard in assisting with our Pastry Chef vacancy. Very responsive to our needs urgently. We got the shortlist candidates promptly, interviews were organised swiftly by and we got our new Pastry Chef on board in a matter of days! Special thanks to Ben Willis as well in your flexibility and assistance. We greatly appreciate this

Angela Neill

The Mayfair Hotel

Thank you for allowing Greg Knobloch the time to present to our VET Induction Day.....The information contained in his OHS presentation was highly engaging and of utmost importance in preparing students for their upcoming work placements. We very much appreciate his time, expertise and experience in this area...

Dainon Couzic & Connie Watson

Busselton Senior High School

All students enjoyed their time at Skill Hire very much. Students were excited to see the end result, but were just as excited to demolish it!

(These students recently took part in a three day Try-A-Trade course at Skill Hire, funded by the Construction Training Fund)

Secondary School

Thank you awesome Skill Hire team! I just wanted to say that I'm very impressed with the high quality of staff you've been providing on a consistent basis, even at short notice. Thanks especially to Ben, Nathan and Rob, you've always made things very easy and provided fantastic service with a smile.

Adrian McGregor

Newform Developments

Amazing! Heidi and Ben were extremely helpful and efficient. They found the right staff for our needs and we will definitely keep working with them in the future.
Highly recommend

Francisco Navarrete

KUA Bar & Bistro

The year 11 and 12 students have loved the three day course in the Trade Centre.

Try-A-Trades

Busselton Senior High School

Working with Skill Hire was an absolute joy! Our students enjoyed an unsurpassed opportunity to learn and develop skills that supported their career aspirations. The opportunity to engage with on-site works meant that our students have now had a real experience of these trades and feel more confident in their ability to succeed.

Vanessa Buemi

Cyril Jackson Senior High School

Skill Hire trainers create an excellent relationship with all students thus making the three days enjoyable for all participants

Try-A-Trades

Busselton Senior High School

The SOP delivered by Skill Hire has been exceptional.

Try-A-Trades

Busselton Senior High School

Students have learnt skills such as setting out, mixing mud, leveling, working in teams, communications and producing a sound product at the end (letter box).

Try-A-Trades

Busselton Senior High School

Skill hire is completely hassle free and I have only good things to say about their service and staff. They fully meet my requirements and expectations every time. Their staff are always well presented, reliable and professional. I absolutely trust Skill Hire to meet my needs and the needs of my catering clients, and will continue to utilize them for all of my kitchen and FOH staff outsourcing. Thanks Ben, Heidi and team!